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AZ91A Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI D2 Steel

AZ91A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI D2 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 29 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (5, in this case) are not shown. Please note that the two materials have significantly dissimilar densities. This means that additional care is required when interpreting the data, because some material properties are based on units of mass, while others are based on units of area or volume.

For each property being compared, the top bar is AZ91A magnesium and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI D2 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 46
190
Elongation at Break, % 5.0
5.0 to 16
Fatigue Strength, MPa 99
310 to 860
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.28
Shear Modulus, GPa 18
75
Shear Strength, MPa 140
460 to 1160
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 240
760 to 2000
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 160
470 to 1510

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 360
270
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 600
1440
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 470
1390
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 990
480
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 73
31
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
11

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 10
4.3
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 52
5.1

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
8.0
Density, g/cm3 1.7
7.7
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 22
3.4
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
50
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
100

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 11
92 to 100
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 280
570 to 5940
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 69
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 38
27 to 72
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 49
24 to 46
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 42
8.3
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
25 to 67

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 8.3 to 9.7
0
Carbon (C), % 0
1.4 to 1.6
Chromium (Cr), % 0
11 to 13
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.1
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0
81.3 to 86.9
Magnesium (Mg), % 88.2 to 91.2
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.13 to 0.5
0 to 0.6
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.7 to 1.2
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.030
0 to 0.3
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.5
0 to 0.6
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Vanadium (V), % 0
0 to 1.1
Zinc (Zn), % 0.35 to 1.0
0